Mr. Paul Maskey:

On the legacy issue, that is something we all hoped would have been resolved many years ago. It is unfair that it has rolled on for so long. At a previous meeting of the committee, witnesses from another delegation, in discussing the legacy issue, stated clearly that their family members, people who had seen big adjustments in their lifetime, were dying before any of these matters had been resolved. In some cases, young people are fighting on behalf of grandparents who died perhaps 30 or 40 years ago. We hope legacy issues will be at the heart of the ongoing talks and that there will be a positive outcome. Both Governments, as well as the parties in the North, have a part to play in this. A positive outcome would help to resolve many of the ongoing issues and allow society to move on. There will always be people within society who find it hard to move on if they do not have some form of justice for their loved ones, whether those loved ones were injured in the conflict or lost their lives.

Ms Peake referred to the ongoing issue of the disappeared. I take this opportunity to call on anybody who has any information at all to come forward as a matter of urgency in order to get those issues resolved and allow families to bury their loved ones with dignity and respect. That call should go out from this room today.

Mr. Gormally noted that the British Government has said on many occasions that it intends to consult victims on these matters. Have the delegates met with representatives of the British Government lately and, if so, what response have they had to the points they raised? Have they met representatives of the Irish Government and, if so, would they say the latter are putting pressure on the British Government, as everybody needs to do, to encourage it to engage? I agree entirely that there is money there within the system, but, as Mr. Gormally observed, the Lord Chief Justice is saying that funding is needed. I was in court last Friday in Belfast where I spoke to people who have lost loved ones. The decision to fast-track some of those cases is very welcome, but five years might still be too long in certain instances. However, at least we have a date set for action and a timeline for completion. Will the delegates indicate whether they have had any recent engagement with the two Governments and, if so, what has come out of those engagements?